Ti Guilhermina, (Guilhermina Júlia)
Portugal, 1909 - 2004
Little is known about the life of Ti Guilhermina, who was born in Vila Flor in 1909, in the Trás-Os-Montes region, in the north of Portugal. She worked as a miller, she got married and lived in the same place until she was 95 years old. When she was 80, after losing her husband, she spontaneously began sculpting puppets in cottonwood, using an axe, knives and some files. Some of Ti Guillhermina’s most common creations consist of men and women, trees and birds, and multi-shaped lizards. She also used to create priests and nuns, richly dressed with clothes that she sewed. Ti Guilhermina talked to her creations and came up with stories to bring them to life.
